Benefits cases in court

Release Date: 05-Jun-2008

A campaign by the city council’s investigations team to bring benefit cheats to justice will see a number of court cases taking place in the next few weeks.

Homeowner posed as tenant to claim benefit

On Friday 6th June, a hearing at Bristol Crown Court will consider whether to award a confiscation order under the Proceeds of Crime Act to recover money from former Easton residents Mohammed Farooq and his wife Sajeela Khanum. Mr Farooq and Mrs Khanum claimed income support, housing benefit and council tax benefit totalling more than £25,000 between 2003-05, to which they were not entitled.

An investigation by the council’s Benefit Fraud Team revealed that Mr Farooq was in fact the owner of the property in Easton for which he was claiming housing benefit and that he had falsified a tenancy agreement in order to claim as the tenant. The investigation also revealed that Mr Farooq owned a second property and that his wife owned a property too, both with tenants paying them rent.

In February this year at Bristol Crown Court, Mr Farooq pleaded guilty to two charges of dishonest false representation, one charge of false representation and failing to notify a change in circumstances. He was sentenced to six months imprisonment. His wife admitted three charges of false representation and was given a 12 month supervision order.

Dishonest stallholder brought to justice

In a separate case, Sara Price of Kings Marsh House, Lawrence Hill, will appear at Bristol Crown Court on Tuesday 10th June for sentencing. She pleaded guilty to several counts of housing & council tax benefit and incapacity benefit fraud after failing to notify the city council or the Department for Work and Pensions that she was running a market stall at St Nicholas’ Market. She fraudulently obtained £29,000 during the four year period between 2002-2006.

Ms Price’s fraud was uncovered following an exercise by the team checking all market stall holders at the market against the benefits database. During further enquiries officers discovered an undisclosed bank account and two Ebay accounts. Ms Price initially denied that she was running a business but later pleaded guilty in court.

Further prosecutions against suspected benefits cheats will appear in court in July.

"Think twice before becoming benefit cheat," warns Cabinet councillor

Cabinet member for Transformation and Resources, Councillor John Bees, said: “Benefit fraud is a crime which costs the country an estimated £600 million a year - money that could be much better spent making our city a better place to live.

“Our investigations team are getting tough on this crime by working in close partnership with other departments, pursuing every call received by the benefit fraud hotline and having a policy of prosecuting every serious case. These court cases should make anyone think twice about becoming a benefit cheat - you could end up with a criminal record and even a prison sentence.”

Anyone can report a suspected benefit fraud in confidence by ringing the council’s fraud hotline on 0500 55 45 35.

Author: Catherine Frankpitt

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